This invention relates to surgical tables and more particularly to surgical tables having integral lateral supports.
Surgical tables on which patients are supported during surgery typically include accessory rails to which a wide variety of specialized patient-positioning equipment is attached. Such equipment is used to position and secure a patient's limbs or other body parts in a desired position during surgery. One such piece of patient-positioning equipment is a lateral brace or support that prevents the patient from shifting laterally or side-to-side on the surgical table. Not all of the various pieces of patient-positioning equipment are needed for every type of surgery and therefore, the various pieces of patient-positioning equipment typically are stored elsewhere in a hospital and are brought to an operating room, as needed, for attachment to the surgical table. It will be appreciated that storing the patient-positioning equipment at a remote location and moving the patient-positioning equipment around a hospital creates a risk that the equipment may be lost or damaged during transport. In addition, there is only a limited amount of space on the accessory rails of surgical tables for attachment of the patient-positioning equipment and any other medical equipment that attaches to the accessory rails.
According to this disclosure, one or more lateral supports are integrated into a patient support apparatus, such as a surgical table. Integration of the lateral supports into the patient support apparatus reduces the number of separate pieces of patient-positioning equipment that must be stored at a remote location and transported to the surgical site for attachment to the patient-support apparatus. In addition, integration of the lateral supports into the patient-support apparatus frees up space on accessory rails of the patient-support apparatus for other pieces of equipment.
According to the present disclosure, an illustrative surgical table includes a patient support deck having at least one patient support section. The at least one patient support section comprises a central portion and a side portion coupled to the central portion. The side portion is movable between a first position substantially coplanar with the central portion and a second position extending upwardly and longitudinally relative to the central portion to inhibit lateral movement of a patient lying on the patient support deck during a surgical procedure. Illustratively, the patient support deck includes head, back, seat and leg sections, and said at least one patient support section comprises the back section.
Illustratively, the at least one patient support section includes a pair of extended-length side portions movably coupled to the central portion on the opposite sides thereof. Another embodiment of the at least one patient support section includes a first pair of side portions movably coupled to the central portion on a first side of the central portion and a second pair of side portions movably coupled to the central portion on a second side of the central portion.
Illustratively, the side portion comprises a mattress pad, a mattress pad support panel and an elongated member coupled to the panel. According to the present disclosure, the mattress pad panel is pivotable relative to the elongated member about a first horizontal axis. Illustratively, the elongated member is pivotable about a second vertical axis when the side portion is in the second position extending upwardly relative to the central portion.
Additional features of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a consideration of the following detailed description of the following embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.